Year: 2001

When I became a grandmother for the first time, my husband and I went to visit the new baby and the young family in the hospital. As I held my grandchild for the first time, my heart was filled with … Read more

My wife, Caroline, gets a magazine every month, one of those that are about a quarter of an inch thick. Usually, I get no further than glancing at the front cover, or the occasional glimpse when it is left open … Read more

I'm not sure why, but I have gotten into the "Christmas spirit" early this year. Perhaps it is all the lights that suddenly appeared on the first of November. Or perhaps it is watching the excitement on my young sons' … Read more

Recently, my children, aged 4 and 6, have begun to understand the concept of time. Bethany now realizes that time passes in an orderly fashion of minutes, hours, and days. We seldom use the common practice of 'three more sleeps,' … Read more

I know a mother and daughter who collect angel ornaments and pictures of angels. Together they made a scrapbook by gluing in pretty pictures of angels cut from old Christmas cards. One day, the mother cheerfully indicated to her daughter, … Read more

Recently I said to two children, aged five and six, "You seem to know what Halloween is all about; can you tell me what Christmas is about?" I got the expected reply that seems to be the norm for too … Read more

My husband and I have been going for Sunday afternoon walks. Recently, as we passed all the houses, I thought about how bare and dark they looked because their Christmas lights weren't turned on yet. A figure of Frosty the … Read more

When we moved into our home fifteen years ago, I saw the cedars surrounding our front walkway as models for all sorts of celebrations, the first of which was Christmas. First, I made choir gowns out of old sheets, dying … Read more

While raising a family of our own, we used to prepare for Christmas in many ways. Each year, we would unpack the Christmas lights and ornaments. Best of all was a nativity scene, given to us years before. With our … Read more

In the last ten to fifteen years the growing commercialism of Christmas has brought back an ancient custom we now see in our homes and churches during the celebration season. This custom is of lighting candles to give us a … Read more